Review: Hiby R6 – Bliss

Disclaimer: The HiBy R6 music player was sent us by Hiby Music and it doesn't have to be returned. The unit I received is the Stainless Steel version, which costs 529$ on Indiegogo. The MSRP will be higher: 649$ when they begin mass production.

While we are approaching the end of this year, I’m closing 2017 on Headfonia with a fresh digital audio player that could bring a new breath to the market. I hope you guys will like this review, enjoy 2018.

INTRO

The reason behind the demand for Android music players is self evident: streaming. There are so many streaming services around (and I heard some rumors about YouTube joining the pack), and more and more people simply are into streaming now.

Certainly, we saw some very good Android DAPs before the HiBy R6. Our hardcore audiophile readers should remember the İbasso DX100. Yes, that was an Android player but long before any streaming service was around. It’s maybe an obsolete item at this time, but it was a pioneer type of DAP, because it started the TOTL player niche all along, together with the Hifiman HM-801.

Sony released the ZX1 roughly 4 years ago, returning to high end digital audio player business with Android. And they released the ZX2 in 2015 (which I still have in my inventory). In the meantime, FiiO came up with their X7, an assertive DAP that can do it all. Pioneer released the XDP-100R (which is almost the same as the Onkyo DP-X1). İbasso was in a longtime silence before the launch of the DX200 (which we still haven’t received for a review). FiiO renewed the X7 and made a Mk2 version and they also included the OS with the X5 Mk3.

My favorites of those are the ZX2 and DX200. I think they’re the best Android players in terms of pure sound quality (the A&K DAPs don’t count in my book because they’re heavily customized). I wonder how far manufacturers can go in terms of merging the Android OS with high quality components and power distribution.

Seeing more Android DAP offerings is always a great thing. Since streaming is the perfect thing for a music lover, I would like to have even more options in the market.

Hiby R6

HIBY MUSIC

So who are these guys? Let’s give some background information and continue with the device:

HiBy music specializes in research, development and sales of high quality portable audio products. They have professional R&D staff and they also have quite a good history in the portable audio field. They have partnerships with brands like Cayin, Shanling and Questyle. As far as I know they make the software of those devices or at least give software support to them.

HiBy Music’s mottos are “Make Music More Musical” & “Ease of Use is not Optional”

Also, their HiBy Music application for smartphones has more than 500K users around. I’ve never used it since I don’t listen to music from my phone, but it’s not hard to see they have a good reputation and know-how about audio processing and software integration.

THE HIBY R6

All those DAPs I mentioned above have ups and downs. The ZX1 didn’t have a great sound in terms of naturalness. The ZX2 sounds great, but it has a slow processor so the UI experience is no way fluid and it has an ancient version of Android. The X7 had a serious hiss when the Wi-Fi was open (don’t know the Mk2). X5III doesn’t sound great to me, although being a very practical and easy to use DAP. Onkyo had the same Wi-Fi hiss problem, similar to X7 Mk1. DX200 is close to perfection in my opinion, as it sounds very very good and close to TOTL, but it also has some small dents when it comes to software and it’s not blazing fast. Yet, I think it’s one of the best sounding Android DAPs on the market.

The HiBy R6 on the other hand, is the new player in this market that aims to solve all these problems. Does it achieve that? No device is perfect of course, but I can say it performs really well in all aspects you expect of an Android DAP. I’ll surely mention those qualities as much as I can, so let’s get on with the “not sound” parts.

BUILD

This is easily one of the most solid DAPs around. Stainless steel is extremely good to hold and to shoot a glance. Together with the compact structure, HiBy R6 feels like a tank. In fact, the chassis is from a mono block steel which is really impressive. There’s no point that feels uncomfortable or edgy, as the body has smooth transition on the corners, including the 2.5D glass.

But be aware of the weight of this SS version. It’s 275g, which puts it the heaviest Android DAP as far as I know. Aluminum version weighs 190 grams (similar to X5III), which is very nice and that one should be very comfortable to hold.

According to Joe from HiBy, there’s no difference other than looks and weight between the two different body versions. They just wanted to offer two chassis options for users. To me SS is incredibly solid and fancy!

DESIGN

The design is very effective and cool as a whole, with very thin bezels on the sides and on the top. The bottom bezel is also quite thin, especially if you compare with other Android players. Also, there are 2 small bumps each on the top and the bottom. This is wise thinking from HiBy, to protect the headphone jacks and the USB Type C port. To me, this is not a “me too” device in terms of design, as it seems they really thought of every aspect for the user. And although it’s not extremely original or distinctive, it still is a beauty to look at.

Physical dimensions are very nice too. It’s shorter than almost all Android DAPs you can pick, narrower than nearly all of them except the X5 III. It’s similar to the X5 III in size, so that could be a reference for you. All the others are either longer, wider or thicker so this one stands out from the crowd for compactness.

SCREEN & BUTTONS

Another praise goes to the screen. HiBy used a 4.2” LCD panel with an HD resolution. The colors are wonderful and you can look at the screen at any angle you want and you’ll still have a perfectly clear picture. The screen has similar specs to DX200’s screen so this is either better or at the same quality with all the Android DAPs you could find. Top stuff.

Side buttons serve you very well even though I don’t like having the volume buttons on the left. On the right you have the power button, which is nice having that on the side and not the top position which I totally hate. Besides the power button you have playback buttons to control the songs. Once you get used to them they’re very easy to reach and press, without checking with your eyes if it’s the correct one.

A lover of personal audio from Turkey, Berkhan always seeks the perfection. He chooses a simplistic expression of sound at all times, and tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level with audio. Sometimes photography wins, and sometimes his love for music takes him over and he puts that camera aside.

John Lee

#sigh – there will be no difference between balanced and SE unless it has been dramatically retuned between the two outputs. The only difference is output volume, you know this! But still repeat myths about balanced being magic. Ridiculous and misleading. Ask Hawaiibadboy!

Linus

it all comes down to how well the implementation is in my opinion. There are some balanced outputs that sound better than single ended and some that sound worse. it is not about balanced being magical, it simply relies on the components used in the signal path of the output. some devices have much better balanced operation (think Sony WM1Z or ALO CDM) because they were made for that specific operation, single ended came second there. but yeah, this can lead to an endless discussion and has been the topic of heated conversations in the past, so let’s agree to disagree. You say nay, I say yay… 🙂

rob

“some devices have much better balanced operation (think Sony WM1Z or ALO CDM) ” – I have the Sony and yes, there is a big, noticable difference between the BAL and SE outputs. I use the Campfire Lyra in balanced and have never wanted to go back to SE. I have not tried BAL with my Noble Encore.

Although I would love for Berkhan’s write up to be even more positive in every aspect (who wouldn’t in my position? ???? ), I do agree that there are differences in the implementation of SE and balanced in Berkhan’s unit that may lead to the heard differences. Although the design is said to be pretty much final, there is one final touch we can put in the output stages that can make the SE and balanced outputs more… identical. We’re talking some very minor change here that won’t affect the production schedule at all 🙂

Loplop

Joseph,

Was this SE tweak implemented before units shipped?

Also: any comment on the Tidal issue? Tidal is mostly my use case for this unit, and I’d be disappointed if it was worse than my ZX2, which was poor (sluggish, lots of stops/dropouts). My AK Kann works perfectly with Tidal, but is a bit dry sounding. I’m hoping this HiBy will be the best balance of SQ and features for me 🙂

Loplop

Thank you for the thorough review! I think this player might be my replacement for my ZX2; I rarely use IEMs, and the ZX2 just can’t drive most headphones properly. I bought an AK Kann, which certainly has the driving power, but is a bit dry when matched with my Focal Clear’s (better with T1p, OK with LCDX). I tried the SP1000Cu, which was lush, but too laid back. I’m hoping this one has enough power to drive the Clear’s well.

Thanks for the thorough review, and for calling out the Tidal issue. I hope this has been improved by now, or will be shortly. I listen to a lot of Tidal…

Wheels

Peter Mcdonnell

Hi, I have just purchased the R6 and the problem I have is connecting to wifi unless I am literally a couple of feet from my router it just won’t connect, either 2.4 or 5g. Any suggestions, I have a very strong wifi signal and no problems with any other devices.

Oleg K.

Dear Berkhan,

you wrote that “Also, some menus had Chinese language and there wasn’t any possibility to install apps other than downloading and running APK files. Joseph provided me the official firmware for international users with Play Store and after that everything has been flawless so far” Could you clarify – were you able to get a fully international version after installing the new firmware (without the chinese Hiby-logo during turning on the DAP, without the chinese language and pre-installed chinese applications)? or you just installed google play? Thanks in advance!

Peter

I have been enjoying my R6 for a few weeks. IMHO the balanced out is more than just higher volume… the SQ is improved. I bought three balanced cables for my headphones and IEM.

No apparent problems with my single driver 17 ohm SE215s. No problems with WiFi or Tidal response.

My only beef is the keyboard… the double duty keys at the top of the keyboard are hard to get right. 50% of the time I tap a letter and get a symbol or number. A numeric shift button (a-la iPhone) might be better.